“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” — 2 Corinthians 13:14 (BSB)
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” — John 1:1–2 (BSB)
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.” — John 14:26 (BSB)
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.” — Deuteronomy 6:4 (BSB)
The Trinity is seen in key moments throughout redemptive history. At Jesus’ baptism, the Father speaks from heaven, the Son is baptized, and the Spirit descends like a dove (Matthew 3:16–17). Jesus commands the Church to baptize in the single “name” of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), indicating their unity. Paul blesses believers in the name of all three Persons in 2 Corinthians 13:14, reflecting the early Church’s understanding and worship of the Triune God.
The Thirty-Nine Articles and the historic Creeds (Nicene, Apostles’, and Athanasian) uphold the doctrine of the Trinity as foundational. Article I confesses “a Unity in Trinity and Trinity in Unity,” and the Athanasian Creed teaches that this is the Catholic (universal) faith. The Book of Common Prayer reflects this in its Trinitarian prayers, collects, and doxologies, forming believers in worship that glorifies the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.
The doctrine of the Trinity is not a philosophical abstraction—it is the very nature of the God who made us and saved us. The Father sends the Son for our redemption, and the Son sends the Spirit to apply that redemption to our hearts. J.I. Packer wrote, “The Trinity is the basis of the Gospel, and the Gospel is a declaration of the Trinity in action.” Knowing the Triune God is what it means to have eternal life (John 17:3).
To believe in the Trinity is to enter into the eternal love shared by Father, Son, and Spirit. God’s very nature is relational, and He invites us into that communion through Christ and by the Spirit. Our salvation is the work of the Triune God: chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sanctified by the Spirit. This is the God we worship—three Persons, one essence, one glory, one eternal love.
Irenaeus upheld the triune nature of God as the faith delivered to the Church from the apostles.
Tertullian (c. 155–220 AD) coined the term Trinitas: “All are of one: the Father is the whole substance, the Son is a derivation, and the Spirit is a third from the Son and the Father… three Persons, one substance.” — Against Praxeas, 9
Tertullian articulated the unity and distinction within the Godhead, laying early theological groundwork.
St. Athanasius (c. 296–373 AD) declared: “We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance.” — Athanasian Creed
Athanasius was a central defender of Trinitarian orthodoxy, especially against Arianism.
St. Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329–390 AD) said: “No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the splendor of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the One.” — Oration 40.41
Gregory poetically expressed the mysterious balance of unity and distinction in the Trinity.
St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) wrote: “There is one God: Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Each is God, all are God, yet there are not three Gods but one God.” — On the Trinity, 1.4
Augustine gave profound theological reflection on the unity of the divine essence and the relation of the Persons.
An Anglican Catechism (Expanded) offers over 350+ Scripture-based answers to the core truths of the Christian faith. Each entry includes biblical texts, theological insight, and reflections from historic and contemporary Anglican voices. Rooted in the classical tradition, it is designed for teaching, discipleship, and spiritual formation.
An Ancient Worship Movement invites readers into the rich, historic worship of the early Church rediscovered through the Anglican tradition. This book calls believers into a deeper, Spirit-filled encounter with Christ through timeless practices.
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